Nursing Instructors Would Rather see You Fail than Succeed

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I have experienced this with almost EVERY nursing instructor I had.

I can honestly say they would rather see you fail than succeed.

Has anyone else experienced this ?

Wow....I can see that a lot of nursing instructors answered here and I guess I should not be surprised that they are of

the opinion that it really isn't them its the student.

well ...I had a nursing clinical instructor who was going to be removed from teaching clinicals due to

many, many, complaints about her.

So when there were two weeks left of clinical (for the semester) she told me she had seen me

do something unsafe a month earlier, and had the write up in her office waiting for me.

She was very pit bull like, and she was not interested in my side of things whatsoever.

I withdrew from class.

So to all you clinical instructors who took the time to answer this post, why don't you do me a favor and answer the following

question....How does waiting a MONTH to issue me a safety write up, benefit my learning? Is it better for me to be in the dark

for a month about my mistake and perhaps continue making the SAME mistake, than to issue me the warning the same day it

happened?

I imagine it is.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
Wow....I can see that a lot of nursing instructors answered here and I guess I should not be surprised that they are of

the opinion that it really isn't them its the student.

well ...I had a nursing clinical instructor who was going to be removed from teaching clinicals due to

many, many, complaints about her.

So when there were two weeks left of clinical (for the semester) she told me she had seen me

do something unsafe a month earlier, and had the write up in her office waiting for me.

She was very pit bull like, and she was not interested in my side of things whatsoever.

I withdrew from class.

So to all you clinical instructors who took the time to answer this post, why don't you do me a favor and answer the following

question....How does waiting a MONTH to issue me a safety write up, benefit my learning? Is it better for me to be in the dark

for a month about my mistake and perhaps continue making the SAME mistake, than to issue me the warning the same day it

happened?

I imagine it is.

So now you have one example of one instructor. Why on earth would you withdraw from class with only two weeks left?? Are you blaming that on the instructor that noted one of your mistakes?

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And, just to point out something, I did not say every single instructor. I said "almost every instructor".

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
And, just to point out something, I did not say every single instructor. I said "almost every instructor".

Since you came back can you please provide us with an example? Because clearly you are still in the minority.

When I was in nursing school I had no issues with my professors & I still stay in contact with one. The one I am talking about went above & beyond to help students.

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

So, it really isn't every nursing instructor that was that way for you? While I and my classmates felt that there were instructors who seemed to put that fear in you, they really weren't that way at all. I did have one clinical instructor who was hypercritical of myself and one other student and a pushover for the rest. The difference? We were older than she was and the others were her age or younger. We felt that we were being targeted because we were "old." She also failed both of us. I had her for 2.5 clinical rotations too. I transferred schools and the clinical instructors there were fantastic and I earned my license.

Since this instructor is being removed, you need to get through this rotation and you have have to retake it with another instructor. Just make sure you have documented dates, etc. when you go talk with your advisor about this.

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Hi OP,

New grad here. From personal experience, my nursing instructors were great for the most part, maybe one or two were apathetic and this was a consensus shared by my clinical group members.

I've heard some heart-wrenching stuff from my nursing grad peers, however, like the nursing instructor who openly yelled at and berated her nursing student in front of a patient. Even when nursing students send in complaints about certain nursing instructors (during course evaluations!), I haven't seen changes implemented and I think this is because of staff shortage, there's just not enough nurses available who can sign up as clinical instructors through universities/colleges.

Your instructor was probably in the midst of doing her final evaluations and decided to write you up for whatever unsafe thing you did, and we don't know what that is, you didn't specify. I understand you're probably feeling angry and aggravated, but have you asked your instructor why this didn't come to your attention earlier? Patient safety is the bottom line, there is no real reason not to correct you immediately if an instructor witnesses their student doing something unsafe.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

That's your example that teacher are out to see students fail? YOU are the one that withdrew. No, I am not an instructor, but I am a person with a low tolerance for whiners...

Wow....I can see that a lot of nursing instructors answered here and I guess I should not be surprised that they are of

the opinion that it really isn't them its the student.

well ...I had a nursing clinical instructor who was going to be removed from teaching clinicals due to

many, many, complaints about her.

So when there were two weeks left of clinical (for the semester) she told me she had seen me

do something unsafe a month earlier, and had the write up in her office waiting for me.

She was very pit bull like, and she was not interested in my side of things whatsoever.

I withdrew from class.

So to all you clinical instructors who took the time to answer this post, why don't you do me a favor and answer the following

question....How does waiting a MONTH to issue me a safety write up, benefit my learning? Is it better for me to be in the dark

for a month about my mistake and perhaps continue making the SAME mistake, than to issue me the warning the same day it

happened?

I imagine it is.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Giving ONE example from ONE instructor does not show that almost all instructors want to see students fail. That means you have had a bad experience with a SINGLE instructor and have given us half of your side of the story with expectation that there would be others in agreements. Furthermore, you seem to think almost everyone who responded here was an instructor. Hint: most weren't and didn't imply they were.

As for me, I have not had a single instructor (clinical or class) that have outright tried to fail a student. I have seen some tough instructors who were tougher on some then others. The ones they were tougher on were not doing well but you best believe they tried to blame the instructor. Even though we could all see that they were just terrible students. I have had one instructor who was tough to everyone, but she actually ended up being my favorite. She made us all think and was very strict with care plans. I learned a lot in her rotation. And I have seen "that" student that GrnTea talks about. The one everyone wants to see fail. And they usually do. Its not that I wish bad things on people, its that they dont understand anything. One today stated she thought chronic kidney failure was a higher priority problem then ARDS. It blew my mind. Shes block 4 and how she has made it this far is beyond me.

Anyway, OP, you didnt tell us what the safety concern was. Or if there were other concerns. If the instructor was hard on anyone else but you. If the instructor chose to write you up for a mistake from a month ago then two things come to mind. You may have been making tons of mistakes or your knowledge concerned the instructor so they needed anything to write you up for. Second, why would you drop out 2 weeks from the end over one write up. You dont get failed for one write up. You just get a performance plan made. ou could have chosen to make some changes and completed your last two weeks. YOU chose to just quit. That is YOUR fault.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
It requires a lot more paperwork to fail a student than to pass them.

Very few instructors want more paperwork.

Yeah and then there is the meeting with your chair and the perfect little darling's Daddy. Seriously in today's times where every finger painting is a Picasso it is much easier, unless flat out dangerous, to just pass the less than stellar candidates. I mean thats what these 3-6 month orientations I hear about are for, right?

:banghead:

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Specializes in ER.

Call a wambulance immediately. Right now!

The OP has some new information that she's holding back. Her nursing instructor bound her with duct tape and demanded she work for the Mafia laundering drug money, in order to graduate.

She's a victim of injustice!

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Hey everyone,,,I just had a lightbulb go off in this feeble brain of mine!

I went to the wrong school! Thanks so much for all your answers and feedback !

I really appreciate it !

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Hey everyone,,,I just had a lightbulb go off in this feeble brain of mine!

I went to the wrong school! Thanks so much for all your answers and feedback !

I really appreciate it !

Uh... What? I can't tell if this is sarcasm or what is going on.

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